


Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Null Protocol

by thebassethound



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Action/Adventure, Amnesia, Friendship, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:01:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27145624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebassethound/pseuds/thebassethound
Summary: Forterra has been swept by the new pandemic mystery dungeons. Pokemon in an ever-moving world are now afraid to travel. The Living God has gone missing. In the midst of the confusion, various Pokemon have begun to appear with an odd affinity for a lost and dangerous art.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Null Protocol

The air was thick and stagnant. The perfect cliff walls were impossibly tall. The sky which sat atop them gave little light, and the ground below was almost too smooth to be natural rock.

Through the mystery dungeon's clutches wandered a Mienfoo. Around every corner she had to steel herself enough to peek. Her steps were light and careful, since if she wasn't quiet she was surely doomed. Things were grave, but making an attempt to save herself was better than crying on the hard floor, so Orial had decided to explore. This way she had a chance. She wouldn't just be found and ripped to shreds.

Just a while ago had seen Orial happily bored. The journey had been pleasant. A warm setting sun had peeked over the cliff's edge, the opposite wall basking in a late orange. Stars were beginning to appear in the strip of sky overhead. The canyon path had been wide, gently twisting, not choked and rigid like the one she walked through now. It had been going so well. But the guards who had almost stopped her from leaving Narrowgate were right when they'd said she was lucky to have traveled this far.

Orial rounded another corner, then peeked into an open area. A scream almost made it out of her. She ducked back into the narrow passage, back against the wall. Was that a Cyndaquil? Was it sleeping? After a moment's debate she decided to take another frightened peek. There it was, curled into a ball in a corner. Weren't the dungeon Pokemon supposed to be... wispy? That's what the guards had said.

Against her better judgement, she stepped out of her relatively safe corridor and approached. If it was hostile, she _should_ be able to hold her own against a Cyndaquil, but she had an odd feeling that it wasn't.

"H... Hey," she whispered.

Even the shaky sound was deafening. It made Orial wince as she spoke it, but the Cyndaquil didn't even stir. Not willing to risk being any louder, she reached and gave its side a light poke with her staff.

Its eyes opened slowly, then shut tight in a grimace. They weren't empty like the guards had described, so was it a normal Pokemon, trapped in here like herself? How it had _fallen asleep_ in here was beyond her.

"A-are you okay?" she asked quietly, unable to keep the nerves out of her voice.

The little Pokemon reluctantly opened its eyes again. It looked around for a few moments before staring at her, then seemed to realize something. A tiny paw was brought to its long snout.

It was inspecting itself now. It sat up (a monumental effort), turned its arms over and back again, peered down at its short stubby legs, and tried to look behind itself without much success.

"Are you okay?" the Mienfoo said again.

It started, looked up, and spoke a nervous word.

"Aaah."

Orial flinched. A hot wave of fear washed through her. "P-please, not so loud," she whispered.

"I, aaamm, ssorrrry."

It was as though he was tasting the words as they cane out of his mouth. Luckily for them both, he'd obeyed Orial.

"Are you okay?" Orial asked again, keeping her voice hushed.

"I, am, con-fused," he said slowly.

"Um, what's wrong?"

"I can't, re-member any-thing."

Orial's head tilted to the side. "Anything? R-really?"

The Cyndaquil shook his head.

"Not even... your name?"

"I don't remember my name."

Orial darted around, making sure they were still alone with nothing coming through the passages to find them.

"W-we need to get out of here," she said, standing up.

The Cyndaquil did the same, but his balance was off and he landed flat on his stomach with a small grunt. His second attempt was a bit more successful, and he took a shaky step to see if he could manage. He looked at Orial. "I am confused. May I ask where we are?"

Again she winced. "P-please, not so loud, we could get heard! ...W-we're in a mystery dungeon," she said. "Can you... help me look for the crystal?"

He hushed. "I don't know what a mystery dungeon is. But I will try. May I ask what the color of the crystal is?"

"I... don't know," Orial replied. The guards hadn't told her that detail. "Just... f-follow me, for now."

So he did, albeit slowly. The tight passage forced them into single-file, and Orial had to go first, checking behind every so often to see that the Cyndaquil had fallen behind. After what seemed like an eternity they made it through a passage into another sadly empty open area. Or maybe that was good, since it didn't have any other Pokemon in it.

Orial wondered what they would do if they ran into a dungeon Pokemon at this point - the poor Cyndaquil was barely coordinated enough to walk. But... there was no way she could run and leave him behind, he was just trapped here like her. He was even more confused. And, really, he was confus _ing_ , but if they made it out, she could actually talk with him about his missing memory.

They continued onward through the narrow passages, their pace slowly increasing as the Cyndaquil became more confident.

"There is something in the area ahead of us," he whispered all of a sudden.

Orial practically skidded to a halt, her heart leaping in her chest. "Wh-what is it?"

"I don't know."

"Sh-should we... go back?"

"I want to know what it is," the Cyndaquil said, trying to step around her.

"No, w-wait!" she said frantically, forgetting about being quiet. "It could be a dungeon Pokemon!"

He did, backing away from her. "I am sorry. I will follow you."

But it wasn't like there was anywhere else to go. She mustered the courage to break through the suffocating air and peeked around the corner -

There was the crystal, sticking out of the ground in a corner. It was jagged, pink, barely translucent in the dim light - it _had_ to be what they were looking for. A bit of the pressure fell from Orial's shoulders.

"Is... that what you felt?" she asked as they filed into the new area, pointing to the crystal with her staff.

"Yes."

"Oh, th-thank the Gods," she said, walking up and touching it as the guards had said to do.

The touch triggered a sudden shift. They both felt it: a tinge of dizziness at the peak of their heads, though Orial had experienced it before when she'd first gotten trapped. When they looked around, the area had shifted a bit. The crystal had disappeared.

Orial's heart sank for the umpteenth time. That was right - the guards had said something about different "levels" in the dungeon, so this must be the next one. If they'd mentioned how many levels there were, Orial hadn't caught that. What a detail to miss.

"I think that I sense another crystal," the Cyndaquil whispered to her.

"R-really? Where?"

He pointed through a wall. "It's in that direction."

"C-can you lead the way?"

"Yes."

Orial followed the little Pokemon into one of the passages, glad to not be in the front. But that was bad, too, since if they did run into a dungeon Pokemon...

"Hey," she whispered, getting him to stop. "I-if we see another Pokemon, run. Can you... run?"

"I don't know. I am not very coordinated. I will try." he said, and promptly resumed his lead.

How the oppressive atmosphere and her fright weren't rubbing off on him was a mystery. In fact, it was almost the opposite - the Cyndaquil's odd nonchalance was making her feel a bit better.

They entered a room, and he paused for a moment. Orial almost tripped over him. More apprehension gathered.

"Wh-what's wrong?" she asked.

A concentrated stare crossed his face. "I think that I sense something else," he said.

Orial's blood ran cold. "Wh-what do you -"

It was almost silent. All of a sudden, from the passage beside them appeared a hulking Gabite. It left a trail of white smoke as it moved. Its "eyes", which weren't more than two black orbs, stared down at the two Pokemon under it. It was, without a doubt, a dungeon Pokemon.

For a moment the three stared, each frozen in place. The Cyndaquil was the first to move, turning and starting to run back the way they'd come, as he'd been told. The Gabite was the second, lunging after him. And it was impossibly quick.

"No!" Orial screamed as a glowing claw batted the insignificant Pokemon against a wall. Energy surged within her as he slumped.

She couldn't run now. Instead, she could fight. The Mienfoo flung the bag from her back, forcing herself to ignore the noisy crash of the instrument inside.

She paused, letting her Focus spread through her, into her staff arm. It flowed through her wrist, through her hand. The Gabite approached the Cyndaquil. Orial swung with a glowing blue staff.

_Bang!_

The energy discharged and the Gabite reeled. It spun around to face the new threat.

Orial froze under its harrowing gaze, the glow fading from her hand. Maybe she couldn't fight. Maybe it was hopeless. Maybe -

The ground beneath her began to glow, and all of a sudden she was thrown off her feet. She scrambled to get back up, reaching for her staff - and a mound of earth fell on top of her. The breath left her lungs. But she had to focus and _push_ on the ground - the Ground trap crumbled off of her back. She had just enough time to roll out of the way of a Dragon-infused claw, which lodged itself into the ground where her head had been.

Lightheadedness hit her like a brick, almost harder than the Gabite. She remembered to breathe. As the Gabite pulled its claw from the ground, her heart fluttered - but luckily for her, the Cyndaquil had gotten up.

His face was calm. He paced forward, and Orial noticed an odd, shimmery quality about him, around his chest....

His mouth opened, making way for a bout of flames - but they weren't regular flames. They were clear, distorting the air around them.

The monster flailed silently as they engulfed its head. It lashed out and stumbled. Orial, with what was left of her Focus, threw her staff at its back, and the impact toppled it.

It didn't get back up. Instead it disappeared, dissipating into the white smoke which it had trailed.

Orial's gaze met the Cyndaquil's in the adrenaline afterglow.

"A-are you okay?" she asked, not bothering to be quiet.

"I am okay. My side hurts," he said, glancing down at where the claw had caught him briefly before returning to his stare. "I am sorry. I didn't follow your direction."

Orial blinked. "Wh-what?"

"You told me to run when we saw another Pokemon."

"Wha- ? But - y-you _saved_ me! If you'd run, I would've..."

She trailed off, leaning back on her hands, and caught her breath. She definitely couldn't have taken the Gabite down alone. Unless the guards were wrong and they weren't as strong as she'd thought.

The Cyndaquil seemed to be lost in thought, though that seemed to be his normal state.

"S-so, um, I never told you my name..." she said, though she really couldn't be sheepish right now. "I'm Orial. Can I call you something?"

"Yes. I do not remember my name. I'm sorry."

"No, no, it's fine.... Do you remember any nicknames?"

He shook his head.

"I-I guess I could just call you Cyndaquil... How about, um, just Quil?"

"Okay. That is my name."

Orial gave him a weak smile. "Th-thank you, Quil."

He was silent, seeming to ponder the words.

But it wasn't the time to sit around. If there was another dungeon Pokemon here, it would be coming to the loud fight which had just occured. Orial stood and retrieved her staff and bag, the latter jangling as she threw it onto her back. She was thirsty, but she didn't want to take the time.

"We need to keep moving," she said. "Do you, um, still see the crystal, Quil?"

Quil snapped to attention. "Yes. I will lead."

And just like that, the two continued into the dungeon, feeling a bit more confident than they had before.

His pace was bearable, now. Quick. He wasn't being careful around corners like Orial had been, and the Mienfoo worried again about what would happen if they ran headlong into another Gabite, say. But the faster they moved, the faster they got out of the dungeon, and that put every other concern into shadow, even careful safety.

The corner they rounded saw a long canyon hall into another area. Orial brightened. A sliver of the crystal's pink hope could be seen.

"The crystal is there," Quil said as they half-ran down the hallway.

"Oh, th-thank the Gods..."

But Quil came to an abrupt halt. "There is something else in there."

Orial's heart dropped through her stomach. Sure enough, a qsmoking Lairon stomped into their view from the canyon hall. Its back was turned.

"Do I run?" Quil asked.

Orial already felt alight with Focus. She set her bag down carefully this time, though the stringbox inside was probably already broken. "No, we need to get to the crystal."

"I'm choosing to fight."

Orial nodded, and the two advanced on the wispy Lairon.

Quil blasted it with his odd fire and Orial leaped over him. She brought the staff down on the monster's head in a flying strike, then darted away as it tried to retaliate.

All of a sudden, Quil was in the air - a Rhydon had charged from the side as they were focused on the Lairon. He hit the ground and skidded.

Orial cried out, but was cut short as the Lairon lunged and rammed her.

She scrambled to her feet, then threw her staff like a javelin at the Rhydon before it could charge Quil again. The Lairon swiped at her, but she was already moving - a glowing fist hit the side of its head, and it dissipated into the white smoke.

Behind her, Quil had found it in him to get back up. He attacked the Ryhorn from a distance, the only way he knew how - Orial waited for the clear flames to disperse before jumping in and finishing the thing off with a kick.

Quil slumped back to the ground.

"Gods! Quil, a-are you okay?" Orial exclaimed, ignoring her staff on the ground.

"I, hurt." The words were spaced, but somehow he managed to keep them steady. His arm trembled under his weight.

Orial stared dumbfoundedly at him, not sure what to do. "I-I - Hold on!"

Her pack was still in the corridor, which at the moment seemed so far away, but she snatched it and brought it back.

She was lucky the guards had told her to buy a healing mix - she could see that now. She dropped a bit of the purple stuff from the little vial onto Quil's belly as he lay. For a moment, the air around him shimmered.

Then, miraculously, he lurched upright.

A warm wave of relief spread through Orial. "Oh, thank the Gods..."

He seemed dazed, and rightfully so. Even if the mixes didn't leave people a little sleepy, she couldn't blame him.

"Let's... get out of here," Orial said, retrieving her staff and walking over to touch the crystal.

They found themselves in an enclosed area. The cliffs on all sides loomed - Orial panicked as she realized they were trapped.

But Quil was staring at the crystal, which was still there. Instead of the vibrant pink, it was opaque, black - almost like obsidian. Curiously, he crawled over and touched it, and all of a sudden their surroundings changed yet again.

A cool, humid breeze washed against their fur. The light was gone, but above twinkled a thousand stars through the big canyon window. Somewhere in the sky the moon cast a pale light over the lip of the cliff.

Immediately Orial relaxed. The change in atmosphere was sublime. The adrenaline began to wash away.

"We... made it..." she said. She had to remember to breathe easy, now that she could. And she was more than content just to sit there and bask in the moonlight. But her parched throat called her.

"Where are we?" Quil asked, looking up into the night sky.

A dazed smile was plastered on the Mienfoo's face after she finished off her water flask. "Outside of the dungeon."

It was the canyon she'd been walking through most of the day, only without the sunlight - she stared down its gentle curve, but all that was there was blackness.

Orial dug in her pack for her Fire lantern, which wasn't more than a little mineral disc. She tapped it, giving it a bit of her Vis, and all of a sudden the canyon was lit in a warm orange glow. Two shadows were cast long across the ground and up onto the cliff walls.

Beside her, Quil was still staring up into the sky, watching it sparkle back at him.

"Hey, um," Orial said, getting his attention. "Do you... have anywhere to go?"

He shook his head, blinking with heavy eyes.

"Do you want to, um, come with me? To Kororre?"

"I don't know what Korrore is. I think that I am tired."

"Oh, s-sure. It's just a town. It, um, should be near here," Orial explained.

Quil seemed to think for a moment. Or maybe he was just preparing for the massive, unstifled yawn that was coming, but for that moment the two simply basked in the breeze.

"I'm sorry. I want to go with you."

Orial brightened, ignoring the residual dizziness for a moment. "Oh, I - thank you."

Getting to Kororre would have to wait for tomorrow, though, if it wasn't already tomorrow. Orial didn't want to travel anymore. She was sure Quil didn't either.

All of a sudden, a voice called out through the bend, making them jump.

"Hey! How'd you two get here?"

Clopping echoed to them as a Mudbray faded from the dark background. The first thing Orial could see was the yellow scarf was tied around his neck, like the ones she'd had seen in Narrowgate.

"All of a sudden, I see light -" he cut short as he came close. "Woah. You two look dead. What happened?"

Orial tried to straighten herself up. "U-um, we were in a mystery dungeon," she said.

It seemed to take the Mudbray a moment to process that. His face fell. "Shit. Really?"

Orial nodded.

"Gods, _nowhere_ is safe. I'm gonna get you two to Kororre. Can you even walk, buddy?"

Quil just seemed like he was about to doze off.

"Oh, I'm Cane, by the way," the Mudbray said to Orial when he didn't get a response.

"Um, I'm Orial, this is Quil."

The little Cyndaquil perked up at hearing his new name, then realized the tall Mudbray standing above him.

"Hello."

"Heh-hey, bud. Here, Orial? Could you help me?" Cane said, kneeling.

Orial helped Quil onto the Mudbray's back, and they left, thankfully without much more conversation. It looked like she would end up sleeping in Kororre tonight.


End file.
